The Good, the Bad and the Heavy
by RuinNine
Summary: Mission: Same old, same old. Location: Pretty new. Risk factor: Through the roof. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _Thanks to PeggsterLover, GimlisBeard and The Beta Branch for their beta reading and support! Hugs to all of you!

_Disclaimer: _As always, no copyright, no money, just pure fun!

— † —

"Tell me again why _we_ of all people have to do this?"

Ethan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Because the target always chooses such occasions to deliver his products and IMF needed someone with inside knowledge of the community to pose as the buyer."

Brandt poked a finger in his team leader's direction. "Now, why am I going to be the buyer? Why don't you do it? You're better at this than me."

When he received an irritated glare, he shrugged his shoulders. "Just asking. Right, I fit the description. Okay. But there's one more thing: I don't have that inside knowledge. I could just as well wear a neon sign with 'I don't know shit' around my neck."

Ethan just shook his head. "Even if I fit the description, there's a reason why I am monitoring the mission this time." He poked at the blue splint that secured his right arm while glaring pointedly at Will.

"Aha! So this is about revenge? I would have told you about my plan if I'd had the time!"

His team leader just shook his head. He had grown very fond of the analyst, like they all had, but he could be quite irritable if he thought a mission to be poorly planned out. This mission proved to be one of those. Nobody had known what the target looked like or how he made contact with the buyers of the information on principal witnesses and police informers – until yesterday.

IMF computer scientists had stumbled across the deal while monitoring the email account of a local desperado they wanted to bust. And now their team was sent in to take care of both – with no time left to prepare the mission properly.

Ethan allowed himself a small grin. "I didn't tell you yet who your partner on this mission will be."

Brandt's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "My partner? Is he the one with the inside knowledge? Do I know him?"

Jane chose this moment to interrupt the discussion she had been watching in the rear-view mirror. "We're at the meeting point." The grin was evident in her voice.

Will turned to her with suspicion written all over his face. "You know who it is, don't you?"

She struggled to contain an amused chuckle. "Yes, I do. But you will never know if you don't get out of this van asap."

The analyst looked down at his jeans, shirt and leather boots – all in black – before he climbed out of the door Ethan had opened for him. "This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath.

His team leader laughed. "You'll live," he teased before pulling the door shut.

Will watched the van disappear around the corner. "Ridiculous," he repeated, his already sour mood reaching a new low.

"Agent Brandt, are you ready then?"

Said Agent Brandt closed his eyes for a moment before turning to the source of the voice. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Agent Benjamin Dunn stepped out of the shadows with a big grin on his face. "Surprise!" He laughed when he caught the glare his friend levelled him with. "Don't give me that look. I had nothing to do with it."

Will eyed the getup of his team mate – plain shoulder bag, leather boots and jeans, black like his own, but – _What the hell? An Iron Maiden shirt? _ "Where did you get those clothes?"

Benji planted his hands on his hips, clearly offended. "These are my own!"

His friend succumbed to a fit of laughter, before a thought crossed his mind and cut it short abruptly. "Wait! You're the insider?" The technician raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply. "No, don't answer! Let me get this straight, okay? I'm going to pose as the buyer with no knowledge whatsoever and you're there to help me out with the information I need?"

He watched Benji nod with an unreadable expression on his face. "Well, then this is even more ridiculous than I thought! Why don't you go in with a mask?"

Benji rolled his eyes. "Security check! Ever heard of that?" He laughed at the sheepish expression on Will's face. "Have you been to a concert before?"

— † —

"Would you mind looking a little less irritated?" Benji regarded his friend with an annoyed expression on his face. They'd been waiting to get inside the music club for ten minutes now and Will's foul mood hadn't changed. It had gone even more downhill, if possible.

"Would you mind looking a little less excited?", Will retorted. He poked Benji in the ribs. "This is a mission. Stop acting like you're on god-damn vacation!"

"Ow!" A grin appeared on Benji's face. "I don't get invited by IMF to watch a concert for free very often." His grin turned even wider. "A Blind Guardian concert at that!"

His friend shot him an annoyed look. "You're doing your job here, not watching a concert!" He threw his hands up in a gesture of pointed exasperation. "And stop saying that band's name like they were The Rolling Stones! I've never heard of them before!"

Benji crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows, shooting him a dirty look that clearly said 'It isn't my fault that you know nothing about good music!'. "They headlined Wacken Open Air last year!"

Will just closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate. "They headlined what?"

"Wacken Open Air! The biggest Heavy Metal festival in the world!" Benji sighed when he only received a half-hearted shrug in return. "It's in Germany." Another shrug. "Ah, forget it!"

Will watched his team member turn away from him in order to direct his pout the opposite way. He smiled and shook his head, wondering – not for the first time - how Benji managed as a field agent with his irritability threshold being so low. _Wait a minute! Didn't your own irritability start this whole argument? _

Shushing his conscience, he hesitantly put a hand on Benji's shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? There are so many things that could go wrong on this mission. I'm just worried."

His team mate watched him out of the corner of his eye. "Are you going to stop being miffed now?"

Will performed a mock salute. "Yes, sir!"

Benji laughed and mirrored the movement. "Well, we're good then, sir!"

Both agents jumped when Ethan's voice suddenly echoed in their ears. "Stop fooling around and focus on the mission!"

Will snorted. "Get out of my head! I'm _still_ angry with you!"

Benji's snicker was cut short when the analyst elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, stop that! What is it with you and my ribs today?"

Jane's voice suddenly joined the banter conference. "I'm wondering if they are going to ask you to show your ID cards. A band of five-year-olds isn't actually allowed to watch a Heavy Metal concert without a legal guardian, is it?" She struggled to suppress a chuckle. "Pun intended."

Will opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the chunky security guard that appeared next to him seemingly out of nowhere. "Tickets?" The man held out a hand and raised his eyebrows, already annoyed when both agents just stared at him for a second.

"Of course." Benji smiled despite the irritation that shone in his eyes and pulled the tickets from his bag, smoothly handing them over. He put a hand on Will's shoulder who looked ready to say something insulting to the unfriendly man and mouthed 'Not worth it!' while the guard checked the admission codes. The analyst huffed, but decided to trust the experience of his friend. _No need to get in a fight right before the mission actually begins. _

"Right." The security guard thrust the tickets in Will's general direction who took them with a sickly sweet smile. _Son of a bitch! _ The impatient man turned to Benji. "Your bag."

He rummaged through the bag, being anything but careful. Benji's smile froze, but he didn't move until the guard took a step back and waved them through without another word. Both agents shot him a glare which he deliberately ignored.

"Bastard!," Will muttered under his breath.

Benji nodded. "Agreed."

— † —

While Will understood and tolerated the basic concept of a support band, it was beyond his grasp why on Earth the headlining bands or their tour manager or _whoever was responsible _always seemed to choose obviously bad support bands on purpose. Sure, there happened to appear good ones on stage, too, but they were few and far between. And Will wasn't that lucky to get one of those on the one day he got to watch a concert for free.

Benji interrupted his musings by shoving him in the shoulder with a cup of beer he had decided to fetch while the poor support band tried their best to entertain the audience. There was not much else they could do other than standing around and trying to look inconspicuous, anyway. Their target had yet to appear in the music club crowded with young people wearing long hair and black clothes.

"I'm feeling a bit out of place here." He had to shout right into Benji's ear, but the technician just grinned in return and nudged him again with the plastic cup.

Will shot him an incredulous look. "Seriously? Drinking on a mission? That's a new low, even for you." He was bored and worried – _Where is that little bugger? _- which was a dangerous combination. Therefore, he decided that giving his team mate a hard time was well worth the consequences.

Benji, however, didn't take the offered bait. "Stop sulking around! It's not like I'd want to get us drunk. But you said it yourself that you feel out of place. Believe me, a beer in your hand will change that." Again, that grin.

Will took a look around the room and noticed that, indeed, most people carried around one or more of those plastic cups. Sighing, he took the one his friend handed him with a self-satisfied smirk. _Well, why not? _He certainly could use the calming effect of alcohol right now. _This mission is getting even more ridiculous by the minute, anyway._

So he spent the next few minutes sipping his beer and listening to Benji rambling on about the quality of the support band while simultaneously raving about the show of Blind Guardian he had seen at Wacken. His team mate radiated pure excitement and Will felt himself relax further with every anecdote and wild hand gesture. The sudden lack of music, however, tore him out of his peaceful trance and found him again at high alert.

"Thank God," Benji muttered. The relieved expression on his face morphed into a grin as he turned to his friend. "Now, are you ready to listen to the good stuff?"

"Maybe." Will mirrored the grin. "But since it is _you_ who advocates the quality of the band, I may have to think again." He dodged the playful blow aimed at his shoulder and was just about to return the favour when all of a sudden, Ethan's voice cut through their banter.

"Guys, I'm sorry for bursting your bubble, but the target is entering the location. Wearing the clothes he described in the email and being followed by two bodyguards."

Will locked eyes with Benji who shot him a look that said 'I have your back!'."Understood." He turned slightly so he could watch the entrance without being detected right away and straightened his back. _Let the game begin._

— † —

Following the target around the music club proved to be easier than expected. It was impossible to lose sight of the tall bodyguards that accompanied the short man who eventually settled for the less crowded back of the room in order to see the show. Will reckoned that even Benji would be able to win in a height competition, but he knew better than to judge an opponent by his size. Such a mistake could end your life quite abruptly.

Both agents had agreed on holding off on their approach until the end of the concert, so they could spend that time scouting their target. No one knew who the man was or what he was capable of and they weren't about to jump into the mission without becoming acquainted with potential weaknesses or strong points first.

Besides, Jane still hadn't caught sight of the buyer who would provide them with the payment they needed in order to wrap up the deal that would send both target and buyer to prison for a very long time. Will scoffed. _Diamonds, really! How clichéd! _Yet, they were small, therefore easy to smuggle through security check and worth thousands of dollars each. A clever solution. One more reason not to underestimate that man.

When the lights went out, the whole music club including their target erupted into cheers and applause. Will watched out of the corner of his eye how Benji tried to conceal his excitement, yet lost the battle when the first few sounds of the intro echoed around the room. His team mate spoke the words he apparently knew by heart, along with the rest of the audience.

Will listened intently and soon found himself hoping that the lyrics didn't serve as a prediction for the outcome of their mission.

"The field is lost

Everything is lost

The black one has fallen from the sky

The towers in ruins lie

The enemy is within

Everywhere..."

_That can't be good..._

Benji didn't seem to pay heed to the meaning the words could hold for them. He was lost in the world of Blind Guardian as soon as the band entered the stage. Will decided to let him have fun while it lasted. They didn't need two people to watch the target who apparently knew every line of every song the band played. Just like Benji.

Will smiled despite the fact that they were on a mission where everything could go wrong. Being the most successful team of IMF entailed as much advantages as inconvenience – like the most dangerous and 'impossible' missions imaginable. At times, the analyst wondered how they made it out of all those battles alive, because apparently, nothing ever went as planned. He just had to trust their abilities and their luck to pull them through.

So he watched and waited, applauding and cheering from time to time so he would keep a low profile. He would never tell Benji, but he had decided to buy a Blind Guardian album once this whole ordeal was over and he had made it out of it alive. They were actually pretty good. But a mission was a mission.

As if on cue, the comm in his ear came to life and he had to press a hand to his ear in order to catch what Jane was saying. "I see the buyer. Closing in on him." He didn't notice the suspicious look their target sent them from across the room.

Will and Benji listened to the conversation their team member instigated with the buyer, smiling and trading relieved glances when it became obvious how easily Jane lured him into the trap she had set for him. The sounds of the struggle the little bugger put up could be heard over the comm, then silence.

And finally Jane's voice came, breathless, but steady. "Got him!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Will turned to Benji to tell him to go and meet Jane at the entrance in order to fetch the diamonds, yet froze mid-way when he found himself face to face with their target who grinned and offered his hand. "Mr. Feanor, I assume?"

— † —

Thank you very much for reading! Penny for your thoughts? ;)

Oh, and thanks to Blind Guardian for still playing the music _they_ want to play! You rock! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: _Sooo, back in black! Thank you very much for your reviews and your support! ;) And now on with the show!

— † —

Will's mind was moving at a hundred miles per hour as he followed the target into the deserted hallway leading to the rest rooms where they would be able to talk without having to shout into each other's ears. Benji followed behind him, flanked by the target's silent bodyguards. The technician hadn't been able to react quickly enough as the three men had appeared out of the blue right next to him and there was no way to escape now - which left them with no one else to provide Will with the information he needed in order to convince the target that he was the buyer he had made contact with.

The lack of payment, however, could prove to be even more fatal. If the target was not a talker and preferred a quick exchange of goods for money instead of testing his knowledge and therefore his identity, they would still be stuck in the middle of troubletown. Furthermore, no diamonds meant no tracker – which meant there was no way to find the target's lair and permanently shut down his business.

Will went through a thousand scenarios in his head, but all of them ended with both of them dead. There was no way they could overpower the bodyguards, for they appeared far too relaxed to be unarmed. And if there was a way to outmanoeuvre their clever target, he wasn't able to see it.

"Mr. Feanor, did you enjoy the concert so far?" _Small talk! Perfect! _If he were able to steer the conversation into a harmless direction, maybe he could convince the dealer to let him send Benji to get the diamonds.

"I enjoyed it immensely, Mr. Tanelorn, thank you very much." Will was determined to uphold the smooth buyer persona as long as possible. "I'm sorry I didn't spot you right away. I take it you enjoyed it as well?"

Jane's voice in his ear startled him for a second, yet he was able to hide it quickly. "There's bad news." Benji and Will were able to detect the level of tense worry her voice had reached. "The diamonds are fake."

Both agents fought hard to keep their expressions as neutral as possible. Will didn't know whether he should laugh or cry or even compliment the buyer on his spectacularly dumb decision to try and deceive this man – with fake diamonds no less! He wanted to bang his head on the wall, but decided against it. It was now time to save said head. However, he didn't get too far with that plan.

"Mr. Feanor," the shark-like smile on the target's face grew even wider. "I'm always pleased to become acquainted with other fans who are able to see the brilliance of their music like I do myself. I was wondering which album you preferred: 'The Final Frontier' or 'Imaginaerum'? I'm just curious because of the ongoing discussion within the fan community."

Will's mind was reeling. _In no__ way are we going to get out of here alive. _Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Benji slowly shake his head, yet he couldn't for the life of him decipher what that meant. So he went for the most diplomatic answer he could think of.

"Well, I don't participate in this discussion. Both of them have good and bad qualities, but to be honest, I prefer their older albums, anyway."

The second those words left his mouth, he knew they were the wrong ones. Tanelorn's eyes grew cold as ice while the smile on his face morphed into a frown. Will felt more than saw Benji tense behind him, causing the bodyguards on either side of him to tighten their hold on his elbows.

"Well, Mr. Feanor, it seems like you're not the man you pretend to be, so let me enlighten you: Neither of these albums were made by Blind Guardian." _The oldest trick on Earth! And you fell for it! _Will was just about to abandon the ridiculous charade and tell their target where he may put those albums, when a commotion right behind him caused the rant to die on his tongue. He whipped around and was greeted with the sight of a knife being pressed against Benji's throat.

"So, Mr. Whoever-You-Are, do you want to tell me why you wanted to cheat me?"

Will slowly turned back to Tanelorn, furious and ready to smash his head in. Yet, his frantic forging of an escape plan was cut short – once again. "Wait!", Benji breathed. "This is a misunderstanding!" He bent his head back further when the knife bit deeper into his skin.

Tanelorn laughed humourlessly. "That's what they all say."

"No, listen! I'm Feanor. This is my bodyguard."

Their target paused and looked Benji up and down as if he saw him for the first time while Will tried to glare daggers at him, which failed to have the desired effect since the technician was forced to regard the ceiling.

At last, Tanelorn seemed to consider believing him, for he motioned for his bodyguard to lower the knife. Benji let out a sigh of relief, but didn't dare lock eyes with his team mate. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's a dangerous business."

Will just couldn't believe it. Apparently, Ethan couldn't, either. "Is he mad? _Are you mad?_" The voice of their team leader sounded like he couldn't decide whether he should be angry or relieved. "Listen, Jane is trying to find a way in that doesn't involve alienating some unhappy security guards. Keep him occupied."

Benji ignored him and focused solely on Tanelorn instead. "If you'd be so kind to release me, we could seal the deal."

_With what, you moron? _Will tried to fight the need to take the technician by the shoulders and shake him until he couldn't remember his own name anymore.

Their target, who had stood motionless for the last few seconds, suddenly straightened his back. "On which stage did Guardian play at last year's Wacken festival?"

Benji smiled. "The Black Stage of course. Where else?"

"Hm." Tanelorn made a vague hand gesture and the bodyguards let go of their captive who made a show of dusting off his elbows and straightening his shirt. Will just asked himself if he was the only sane person left on the planet.

"Well, Mr. Feanor, I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Their target sounded anything but sorry. "Now, where is my payment?"

Benji patted his shoulder bag. "I have it here. But-" He held up a hand. "But I brought something which I think is even more interesting for you. Something even rarer than diamonds."

Will watched, caught between despair and disbelief, as Benji pulled a black box out of his bag and presented Tanelorn with the casket, all the while wearing a knowing smile. "It is yours if you want it, in exchange for what I want and what you possess."

Their target levelled him with a suspicious glare in return. "Open it yourself."

Benji's smile didn't waver. He opened the box and handed it back over. As soon as Tanelorn caught sight of what lay inside, his eyes widened almost comically. "Where did you get that?"

Will tried to look nonchalant, although he was dying to know what was in that box. Yet, he didn't dare to move so he wouldn't shatter the plan Benji obviously had conjured up while he had been busy fretting over the situation they had found themselves in. _Oh God, please let it be a good plan! I can't take any more surprises!_

"Well, let's just say, I stumbled across it somewhere in France." Benji grinned. "Like I said, it is yours if you want it."

Tanelorn tore his eyes away from the box and nodded to one of the bodyguards who pulled a few folded sheets of paper from the back pocket of his jeans and motioned for Will to take them. "These are the facts you asked for." He offered Benji his hand. "It was nice doing business with you." And without looking back, they were gone.

Both agents stared after them, completely bewildered and wondering why on Earth they were still alive. Speaking of still being alive...

"I'm going to kill you!" Benji backed away from his pissed off team mate, raising his hands in surrender. "What were you thinking? And what the hell was in that box?"

"You know, I think you could be a bit more grateful!" The technician indignantly crossed his arms across his chest. "I've saved your ass back there!"

Will threw his arms in the air, clearly defeated by that simple logic, but still furious. "Fine! You saved us!" He planted his hands on his hips. "But with what? What did you give him?"

Benji's shoulders slumped and the expression on his face turned sad. "My copy of their first demo tape from 1985. It took years to hunt that down. I wanted to get it signed today."

In an instant, Will felt all the pent-up anger being replaced by sympathy. "Oh man, that sucks. I'm sorry." _Note to self: Make sure to get hold of one of those!_

"Well, at least we're alive, right?" His team mate kicked at some invisible dust on the floor. "Time to move on."

Will nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. It sucks even more that we can't even track him down now."

Benji smiled a tiny smile. "Who said we couldn't?" He laughed when the analyst just stared at him. "I don't carry around the most valuable thing I own without making sure I can follow it in case it gets stolen. How dumb do you think I am?"

Shaking his head, Will allowed himself a relieved laugh. "Unbelievable!" He put a hand to his ear. "Did the target exit the music club?"

"Yes, he did." The grin was evident in Ethan's voice. "Good job, Benji."

Before Benji was able to answer, Will threw his arm over his friend's shoulders. "How about we go and finish that concert we started?"

The technician shot him his trademark grin and nodded. "I'm in."

"How about you, Jane? Where are you anyway?"

Jane snorted. "No, thanks. I'm already on my way back to the van. Can't wait to get a good night's sleep. You two go and have fun!"

"Well, suit yourself!" Will grinned. "Heavy unit out!"

— † —

Once again, thank you very much for reading! :) Thoughts?


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